The refusal of a fourth term by the chairman of the Korea Football Association, Chung Mong-gyu, and Minister Yu In-chon’s stance on the deletion of the limit on the reappointment of sports organization executives are being pushed. Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, who is suffering from measles over the recent controversy surrounding the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as the head coach of the national team, reportedly avoided giving a direct answer about his fourth term challenge, saying he would “carefully consider it.” The chairman said, “I will carefully consider all possibilities for the development of Korean football.”
Kim Jae-won, a lawmaker of the National Revolutionary Party, previously questioned whether Chairman Chung Mong-gyu’s recent activities were aimed at reappointment for a fourth term. In response, Chairman Chung Mong-gyu stated, “It is difficult for me to agree with the statement that all my football-related activities are for reappointment,” adding, “Ultimately, I think history will be the judge.”
Chairman Chung, who has led the Korea Football Association since 2013, is reportedly finishing his third term this year. Although Chairman Chung has not publicly revealed his intentions to challenge for a fourth term, there is speculation that he will do so after being appointed as an Executive Committee member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in May, returning to the football diplomacy stage.
Moreover, Minister Yu In-chon reportedly pointed out problems with the system for reviewing the reappointment of the chairman of the Korean Sport Association during a parliamentary inquiry into cultural, sports, and tourism affairs. Minister Yu stated, “I think there is a problem with the system of approving the reappointment of sports association executives. If approval from an agency that decides on reappointment, such as the Sports Fair Commission, is required, it should be delegated to an agency unrelated to the sports association and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.”
This criticism seems to focus on issues related to reappointment according to the Sports Association’s regulations. Initially, the Sports Association indicated that due to difficulties in arranging executives under the reappointment restriction clause, it was pushing for the deletion of the restriction on the reappointment of sports organization executives.
It was also suggested that the current chairman, Yoo In-hee, who is finishing his term early next year, has faced criticism for participating in the abolition of the reappointment restriction. This situation is expected to have a similar effect on Chairman Chung Mong-gyu. Minister Yu In-chon expressed his opposition to approving the revision of the regulations that allow reappointment without restrictions and emphasized that he would not approve it.
Furthermore, during the parliamentary inquiry into cultural, sports, and tourism affairs, National Power Party lawmaker Shin Dong-wook expressed doubts about the fairness of the Sports Fair Commission’s review of sports association chairman reappointment. According to a report released by Shin Dong-wook, the approval rate for reappointment of executives increased significantly to nearly 100% after Chairman Chung took office.
Minister Yu In-chon reiterated his intention to prevent Chung Mong-gyu, the chairman of the Korea Football Association, from challenging for a fourth term on the 26th. This came after Minister Yu previously demanded Chung resign, stating that recent public opinion suggested that deciding his own fate was not honorable. Minister Yu also indicated that if there are problems, he will refuse Chung’s fourth term. He warned, “In principle, you can’t do it more than twice. When you were reappointed for the third term, you got permission from the Sports Fair Commission. There are problems with the third and fourth terms, so I recommended correcting this part to the Fair Commission. If they don’t accept it, I will issue a correction order again. If that doesn’t work, I will go through the disapproval process.” However, this is just Minister Yu’s stance, and the prospects for actually going through the disapproval process are unclear.
Upon hearing this news, football fans mainly expressed reactions like, “Unbelievable,” “Retire on your own,” “Chung Mong-gyu, the only flaw in Hyundai,” and “Isn’t three terms enough? It’s time to stop now.”